Hey guys, sorry I've taken so long but stuff came up quickly. Essay, projects, presentations, tests, FINALLY being over with my lunchtime theatre that I was directing (SOOOO HAPPY!!), rehersals for the war heritage musical, work, insomnia, the upcoming prom, the ACT awards, and the variety show. I am so beyond exhausted right now I don't even know why I'm still awake. Chocolate and coffee are my lifesaver, and my funny cast members of the musical. However, currently I'm out of all three and my vision is going a tad bit blurry... so again, sorry about promising to have this chapter within a week and then you know... not... BUT I think after reading this chapter you'll forgive me...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Concrete Angel

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Chapter Sixteen:

Sasuke growled lowly as he once again watched his Naruto be led away for lunch by that redheaded criminal.

He'd kept himself quiet and distant for the past week because after that first confrontation, he didn't want to make Naruto even angrier. Sasuke couldn't bare the thought of Naruto hating him all because the blonde couldn't accept the truth about the redhead's past and personality.

But with Naruto changing so drastically, and so rapidly, he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to get him to listen to him even if it meant risking their relationship. He had to at least thoroughly warn him of the dangers that Gaara would bring upon him.

And he would do that right n... Sasuke's eyes roamed the halls for the blonde no longer in sight. Damn it... already gone... he thought irritably. So he would talk with him at the end of lunch. He knew his schedule, so he could catch him before hand, hopefully without the Sabaku hanging around.

For now he may as well head down to the cafeteria and see if Kiba had stayed around the school for lunch instead of heading down town for some "real" food. Sure the cafeteria's food wasn't great... okay it was a level away from slop, but it was healthier than the pizza and fried food and all that other junk the dog-boy and their other friends shoveled into their mouths. Sasuke always packed his lunches, healthier and tasty. Sure the cafeteria had nice tasting food now and then, but not very often.

"Sasuke, want to come out to lunch with me?" A cheerful, flirtatious blonde Ino appeared directly in front of him as he landed on the bottom steps leading down to the first floor. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, as if this actually made him the least bit attracted to her.

"Sorry Ino, I have stuff to do." Today he didn't actually have a convincing excuse that would make her back off instantly, and he was lacking any and all effort to come up with something seemingly legible.

"Like what? I'm sure it can wait." She toyed with her hair, blinking her eyes in a way that would make most guys' will fly right out the window and submit completely to her. But Sasuke was not most guys at their school who were in fact straight.

"No it can't wait. It's something that's very important and I have to be around when it happens."

"What's happening? Something excited? Can I come?"

Her voice was irritating him to no end now and he didn't care to be polite anymore. "No Ino, you cannot and I don't want to go anywhere with you. So, leave me alone." Sasuke didn't exactly snap but it was more blunt than he'd ever really been to any of his fangirls.

Ino got a hurt kind of look about her face, pouted then nodded. "Oh... okay then... bye." Quickly she turned around, trying not to let others now she'd been rejected.

Sasuke, however, didn't even watch after her but merely continued in the direction he'd been walking. With everything he was dealing with now, he didn't have time to quietly listen to his fangirls then politely turn them down.

Though the cafeteria was not empty, it did not hold any of his "close" friends. Kiba was nowhere to be found in the crowds or the line up for food. He must have gone downtown, and he didn't blame him for all the cafeteria had were their pre-made egg sandwiches and their gross tomato soup. So he would go without lunch today because he absolutely detesting going downtown to eat. Every place was packed full of loud and obnoxious teenagers, two things he hated most in the world. So, he decided to wander about the halls and the outside perimeter for the rest of the lunch hour.

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Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Naruto and Gaara turn the corner and he quickly ducked into an empty classroom. He was planning on simply approaching Naruto at the end of the lunch hour but since he only had about twenty minutes of preparations and with Gaara around, he would have to corner him.

So as the pair walked by, Sasuke swiftly reached out, grabbed the blonde's arm and pulled him inside to pin him against the wall, closing the door to the best of his ability with his foot.

Naruto didn't hit the wall that hard but his eyes were forced shut as he gasped and his head rocked forward. For a moment he was utterly stunned, then that quickly turned into anger. "What the hell!" His eyes flew open and flooded with confusion once he saw the figure before him. "Sasuke?" His confused eyes instantly turned to anger, as though he remember he was supposed to be upset with the raven. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sasuke tried not to wince at his snapping voice, and the fact that he was swearing. Sure it was minimal swearing but Naruto NEVER swore. He had changed so much. No longer was he shy, docile and gentle. His eyes were hardened and lined with black eyeliner which accented his bright blue eyes brilliantly... though it was a bit too thick for his liking. His eyes were also drowned in black eyeshadow, his lips were painted with black -which didn't suit him in the least-, and his blonde hair, usually floppy and soft, was jelled and spiked -which he had to admit didn't look that bad. His black make-up and clothing, at most, made him look far more pale.

"I'm trying to talk to you." Sasuke answered his question, their faces and bodies extremely close as Sasuke had Naruto's hands pinned above him by the wrists in one hand with his other hand holding his shoulder. It was a little hard to keep a good grip on his wrists because of his wrist bands, but the raven was considerably stronger than the frail Naruto.

"Is this really necessary?" He glared, referring to the fact that he was pretty well restrained.

"I can't have you running out on my until I'm done explaining, so yes."

"Then hurry the fuck up." Naruto snapped again, it was almost as though he were baring his fangs as he snarled at the taller.

"I don't like you hanging out with Gaara." If that was the way he wanted it, Sasuke would just come out and say it.

But Naruto, of course, rolled his eyes. "It's none of your business who I hang with."

"It is if you keep ditching me. You haven't talked to me in a week."

"I've been busy." His eyes averted, like he was indirectly apologizing.

"With what? Make-overs?" He spoke sarcastically, obviously not accepting this.

Instantly Naruto's hard eyes were locked with Sasuke's own stern ones. "He understands me."

"So do I."

The blonde was slightly taken aback from this instantaneous response, but it didn't falter his speech. "You could never understand me like he does. He's been through what I've been through."

Sasuke stayed silent with a questioning look on his face, but it was more the sarcastic 'really?-do-tell' kind of question.

"He's experienced the ridicule, isolation, hatred from everyone, even the...abuse..." His voice lowered for one word, as though speaking it were a bad omen. "You would never know what any of that was like Sasuke, you... your life is perfect. You couldn't relate to me like he does."

The Uchiha's eyebrow rose slowly but significantly, rising to it's full height at the word "perfect." His life was anything but perfect, but it wasn't like Naruto knew about his past.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Naruto growled suddenly, thoroughly annoyed by the know-it-all-'yeah right' look he was getting. "You know it's true! You haven't experienced a third of what me or Gaara has been through, so don't deny it!"

Sasuke wanted to shout, "What do you know about my life?" But it was not his life he needed to be referring to.

"Just because Gaara's past has some similarities to yours doesn't mean you should turn into a little Gaara-clone," He was attempting to remain calm, but there was much tension in his voice.

"This is my choice." Naruto scowled, shaking his arms against the taller's grip.

"Because he manipulated you into thinking it was!" He broke, he was getting fed up with his bullshit and increased the strength in which he was restraining the blonde. "You never thought like this before! Ever! He's getting into your mind and reversing your way of thinking."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? That he's put me under some kind of hypnosis. Like that makes any damn sense!"

"It does make a lot of damn sense! He's turning you into something your not! Into something you never wanted to be!"

"Into what? He's turning me into someone who's accepted and loved!"

"If you keep this up no one will love you! You'll turn into the very thing you said you'd never be, what everyone expects you to become!"

"I will not! I'm still me no matter how much my looks change!"

"Bullshit! You know you're changing and I don't want you following in Gaara's footsteps... or your mother's!" Sasuke wish he regretted the words he'd just spoken, especially because of the hurt and stunned look it provoked on his beloved's face. But to be honest, he inwardly knew he felt that it was the truth and had for a while now.

Naruto's eyes started welling up with tears, stunned that Sasuke would suspect that he would turn into his mother. The very thing he despised. He thought that Sasuke was the one person who would never do such a thing... apparently he was mistaken. This realization turned his expression into a painful anger and he frantically attempted to break free from the Uchiha's hold. "I am not my fucking mother! You're just jealous because I'm not solely following you anymore!"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to be stunned, "What?"

"Now that I'm not your little puppy, tagging with you in private because you don't want your precious friends to know you pity me, you've got no one to boss around!" Naruto struggled more and more as his voice rose.

Sasuke's voice rose in anger as well, "That makes no sense Naruto! How do you get that from any part of our relationship! I have never bossed you around for as long as I knew you! I was trying to help you!"

"And that ended with me at the bottom of my stairs!"

Sasuke's face blanked for moment, completely stunned and hurt by the comment. Did Naruto just blame him for his aunt's abuse? "You'd be dead if it weren't for me fixing you every time your aunt broke you!"

"I never needed you before and I didn't need you then!"

"Like hell you didn't!" He glared back at the blonde with eyes just as intense and filled with rage. "You needed someone to rescue you!"

"You act like that was you!"

Again the raven's heart took a beating, "So Gaara's your savior, is that it?"

"Yeah, it is! He actually stopped her, which is more than you could ever do!"

"So he stands up against a drunk! He's still good for nothing but crime!"

"It's not a crime to love me!"

"He doesn't love you! He's using you and turning everyone against you!"

"Everyone was already against me!"

"I wasn't!"

Both were breathing rapidly, almost gasping for air because they'd been yelling so loud and right after the other without a single break.

"And I'm not now..." His voice was softer, no longer angry but still short on breath to some degree. "Be the old Naruto again. Be the Naruto... that Ilove."

Naruto's eyes widened, his expression of rage disappearing. He regained a bit more control over his breathing but he couldn't find words to speak. However, he didn't have any need to speak for the next moment Sasuke pressed his lips gently against Naruto's painted ones. The blonde's eyes widened further, now he was in total shock, too shocked to even think of the possibility of kissing the raven back.

"Naruto..." Sasuke pulled back and released Naruto's wrists, resting his hands softly on the blonde's shoulders.

"Yo, Uzumaki!You finished?" Gaara's voice called from the hallway, apparently he'd been waiting outside the door.

The blonde's head turned towards the door but his eyes stayed firmly locked on Sasuke's own pleading ones. Naruto could clearly read the "Please stay with me" look in the raven's dark, sad eyes but right now he was too confused to think any major decisions through.

"I... uh..." Sasuke's entire expression and body language begged Naruto not to go now. "I... guess... sure." Stepping away from te raven haired boy and out of his loose grasp, Naruto opened the door and walked out into the hall, not looking back once.

Sasuke stood motionless with his hands frozen in the air Naruto once filled up. He bit his lower lip as he listened to the retreating footsteps, his fists clenching gradually until he slammed them both into the wall before him. Stepping closer he let out a shaky breath and allowed his forehead to rest on the cold wall which could have very well been Naruto's chest... if he had remained with him.

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So... maybe you won't forgive me now... but hey, it was good before the last couple paragraphs... eheh... Well, I might look forward to the reviews... depending on how mad you are at me eheh... But, I'll read them tomorrow when I wake up at around 5 or 6pm, I finally have one Sunday off after about 5 months of work and I plan to catch up on 2 weeks of losing sleep so... goodnight